Calculate tax from your income in South Africa with an online calculator.
Calculating the income tax is as easy as 1,2,3, 4 and 5. Here is how to use the Income Tax Calculator for South Africa by TaxCal
- Enter Tax year
- Enter Total Salary
- Enter Your Salary Terms
- Enter Your Your Age
- Enter Values and Hit Calculate Button to see the Results
Having Trouble? See the Detailed Guide
Steps to Calculating Income Tax in South Africa
Income tax in South Africa is calculated under the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system. There are several detailed steps that come under the PAYE system.
The steps that you have to follow include,
Determining Taxable Income Value
To calculate tax if you are working in South Africa, you have to first calculate the total income. Total income includes bonuses, salary, and other income sources.
Then you have to subtract any allowable deductions from the total income. This includes medical expenses, retirement funds, and travel allowances.
Tax Brackets
Understand Tax brackets for year 2025-2026 are mentioned below.
Up to R237,100: 18% of taxable income
R237,101 to R370,500: 26% on income above R237,100, and a fixed amount
R370,501 to R512,800: 31% on income above R370,500, and a fixed amount
Applying Tax Rates
Now you have to use the tax rates according to your income bracket to check for tax liability.
The value you have obtained after applying that tax rate is now the value of your calculated taxes.
Ensure accuracy by considering deductions and applicable rebates.
Thresholds And Rebates
You have to deduct the applicable rebates that are dependent on your age from this calculated tax value.
Moreover, you also have to consider tax thresholds. Tax thresholds are the income levels under which you are not required to pay any tax.
Calculating PAYE
If you are an employee PAYE will be calculated by your employer based on the deductions and earnings of every month. The employer itself will withhold this tax value and will pay it to the SARS that is South African Revenue Service in South Africa on your behalf.
Submitting Tax Returns
Another thing that you have to make sure of is to submit an annual tax return to the SARS in South Africa. Here you have to declare the total income that you earn and also have to claim deductions and rebates.
Then SARS will check your return.
Taxes In Various Countries
Every income is liable to tax. You have to pay taxes on every income you earn. It is charged as a percentage of your income. Every government has its systems and methods of calculating the tax on the incomes of individuals and their salaries.
Let us shed light on the tax value in various countries so you can have an idea about how to calculate taxes on salary in Ireland and the UK.
Ireland Tax Calculations
- Determine Taxable Income
- Start by calculating total income.
- Subtract pension contributions, Permanent Health Benefit Scheme payments (up to 10% of income), and salary used for Bike to Work or Travel Pass schemes.
- The resulting amount is taxable pay.
- Apply Marginal Rate Allowance
- Deduct any tax allowances from taxable pay before calculating tax percentages.
- Calculate Tax Rate
- Tax 20% on income below the standard rate cut-off point.
- Tax 40% on income above the standard rate cut-off point.
- Sum both amounts to determine total tax liability.
- Subtract Tax Credits
- Deduct applicable tax credits from the total tax liability.
- The final amount is the tax due.
UK Tax Calculations
- Understand the Tax-Free Threshold
- The first £12,570 of income is tax-free (Personal Allowance).
- Income above this threshold is taxed at different rates.
- Income Tax Rates (2025-2026)
- £12,571 – £50,270 → 20% (Basic Rate)
- £50,271 – £125,140 → 40% (Higher Rate)
- Over £125,141 → 45% (Additional Rate)
- Tax is Applied in Bands
- Tax rates apply only to the portion of income within each band, not the entire salary.
- Example: If earning £60,000:
- First £12,570 is tax-free.
- Next £37,700 is taxed at 20%.
- Remaining £9,730 is taxed at 40%.
Tax bands are updated in government budgets (spring/autumn), so staying informed on rate changes is essential.
Hopefully you have gone through this article that tells you about how you can calculate tax payment values if you are in South Africa. The guide tells you about the procedure of calculating tax payment in depth and the step-by-step process that you have to follow to get the precise and accurate amount of tax that you have to pay.